Opinion

I hate to say it and I truly hope I’m wrong, but it looks like it’s about time to put a fork in Creigh Deeds’ campaign for governor.

Deeds has found it all but impossible to break through the thick fog of hatred, fear and paranoia over the Obama agenda that has been spread since the summer. National Republicans are desperate to win the governor’s race here and have spent many millions to get that done.

As I mentioned earlier this month, although the Bedford area’s elections for board of supervisors and school board consist of six races between the incumbent and Mickey Mouse, the races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general each feature two candidates. There are three in the 19th District House of Delegates race.

She saw her parents sacrifice so she could go to college. The closest library to her home was miles away, but her parents always found a way to get her there so she could “load up on books.” They also purchased a World Book Encyclopedia set for her and sacrificed to help her get into college.

To what might we compare the debate between the Christian and Naturalist worldviews? We can liken it to a tractor-trailer driver delivering to Georgia Pacific in Big Island.

As Debbie, our driver, descended southward down route 501, something on a nearby mountainside caught her attention. Approaching the plant, Debbie recognized the mountainside diversion as a series of large rocks arranged to read, “WELCOME TO BIG ISLAND.”

Recently, a group of more than a dozen superintendents and school officials from around the 5th District had the opportunity to sit down with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to talk about the challenges and opportunities in our education system. I convened this roundtable to give school districts the opportunity to communicate directly with the Secretary about what’s working and what’s not in Virginia schools.

Behind 112 Donegal Lane, and viewed from Leatherwood Place, the 150 year old Jopling graveyard has been used as a dump by vandals. Surrounded by modern houses with well-kept yards, who would do such a thing?

There are times that call for standing your ground, no matter what, when you are right. There are other times when graciously backing off is the better choice.

The reasoning behind Dr. William McIntosh’s decision to include a bust of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin at the National D-Day Memorial is correct. Dr. McIntosh sees all these sculptures as teaching tools and Stalin has an important lesson to teach us.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Bedford Bulletin for its fine coverage of Bedford House during the last month.

The front page article of the Challenge Grant for the Endowment Fund was read in all parts of the county and engendered many of the generous donations that we received. In fact, I will credit the newspaper coverage with helping us to almost double our goal of $30,000 to meet the $100,000 challenge!

It is no secret that the American people are facing a very tough economic climate. Families and small businesses are cutting back on expenses. As economic uncertainty continues, many across our nation are looking to the government for leadership during this difficult time. In these challenging economic times it is even more important for government to control spending.

We have less than three weeks to go before the Nov. 3 state and local elections. I hope you’re registered and intend to show up at the polls as these elections are important.

Granted, the local picture in Bedford County isn’t exciting. The incumbents are running unopposed, so if each one gets his wife to vote for him and not too many people vote for Mickey Mouse, he wins. However, there are contested races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general as well as the 19th House of Delegates seat.

Remember the days of the Commodore 64, the Apple II, and the Atari 400. Remember when folks couldn’t figure out what anyone would need with 640K of memory.

Those are days, long gone by. But in the basements, attics and garages of many area residents those memories appear to linger, along with broken down microwave ovens, old television sets and printers that no longer print.

But what can be done with all of that electronic garbage? The city of Bedford did its part last week to help us get rid of the waste.

As Congress continues to work on healthcare reform, I am focused on making sure the voices of Central and Southern Virginians are represented in the debate. I know Virginians are deeply concerned about getting health care costs under control, securing the insurance people already have, and taking care of our seniors. Getting my constituents’ feedback has been of primary importance to me, which is why I launched an online healthcare forum (www.perriello.house.gov/healthcareforum) in June and held over 100 hours of town hall meetings in August.

This summer Democratic leaders in Congress introduced H.R. 3200, the “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act”, which sets the tone for a Washington takeover of the health care system —one defined by federal regulation, mandates, a myriad of new big government programs, and a significant increase in federal spending and debt.

Over the past several months, my staff and I have met with health care providers, community leaders, and concerned citizens from across Virginia about the need to reform our nation’s health care system. In addition, my office has received and responded to more than 40,000 e-mails, letters and phone calls from Virginians concerning the health care debate.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a recent posting on the Facebook Web site that posed the following question: “Should President Obama be killed?”

The choices for answers in this “poll” were telling: yes, no, maybe and “if he takes my health care.” According to news reports, more than 700 people responded before the posting was pulled. I’m not sure I want to know how many people voted “yes.”

A story on WorldNetDaily, an on-line news site, caught my eye early last week. The title was “Why can’t Christians unite to change America’s ways?”

The story noted that there are people who claim to be Christians working as activists for both conservative and leftist causes. It contained the results of a poll conducted this year by Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in partnership with Public Religion Research. The poll revealed some significant differences.

While there aren’t any national races in this November’s election, there are still plenty of reasons for Bedford area residents to make sure they’re registered to vote. And, the fact is, this year’s gubernatorial race in Virginia is being treated by some as a national referendum on where this country is headed with the Democrats holding both Houses of Congress as well as the White House.

So if you’re not registered to vote, you have less than a week to take care of that.

Dear folks of Bedford, the response to my request for your help to fill our shelves of many needed items at Christian Ministries was over the top with your generosity. It was heartwarming to see your response.